Have you ever seen an administration that is so convinced it is above the law as this one?
Yet again, Secretary Blinken and the State Department are ignoring a subpoena from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
When you hear the reason, you are going to lose it!
We Gave You Enough
The initial subpoena required the information to be turned over by March 1.
At the time, the State Department said it would brief the committee on the information it wanted, but they specifically did not want to turn over a dissent cable by staffers that were pushing back against what was happening in Afghanistan during the withdrawal.
Chairman McCaul (R-TX) accepted the briefing, but he made it quite clear that it did not replace the actual subpoena.
Blinken, at the time, stated, “It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, that we not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to express dissenting views on the policies that are being pursued.”
McCaul got his briefing, which was the State Department telling him what they wanted him to know, but the subpoena was never followed.
In an effort to be fair, McCaul pushed the deadline back to April 1, still no papers.
Then he pushed it back to May 1, still no papers.
State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel is trying to justify the lack of cooperation, and wait until you hear this garbage.
He stated, “We have communicated with the House Foreign Affairs Committee with an offer that we believe is sufficient for them to conduct their appropriate oversight duty.
“That has included a written summary of dissent coming out of the embassy in Kabul and others.
“It has also involved a closed-door classified briefing to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on these topics.”
Last time I checked, the State Department does not get to decide how oversight is carried out, so this is complete and utter nonsense.
Can you imagine if a Trump representative had said this to Congress and how badly it would have been blown up by the media?
McCaul needs to man up and take them to court right now to get that cable.
I am guessing there is something pretty damning inside of it, which is why they will not turn it over.
The State Department has already been blasted for the lack of organization by the Inspector General on this, so you can imagine what this committee will conclude.
Take them to court, get the papers, and blow the lid off this entire administration.
Source: Fox News
